


In Another Life Maybe

by Feyatsirk



Category: NU'EST
Genre: Character Death, Don't hate me for this, Jron is unrequited, Kim Jonghyun-centric, M/M, Made up illnesses, Meaning his 'pov', Mentions of Blood, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, loooooots of sobbing and crying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-18 16:24:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21930340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feyatsirk/pseuds/Feyatsirk
Summary: Jonghyun has known Minki since childhood and has known Aron since three years ago when they became roommates for college. Being around them both, he discovers they share a soul mark and gets very different reactions from the both of them; He knows how he feels for Aron, but Minki is like his brother, so when things take a turn for the worse; He can't help but wish it washimwith the matching soulmark and not his brother.
Relationships: Aaron Kwak | Aron/Choi Minki | Ren, Kim Jonghyun | JR/Aaron Kwak | Aron
Comments: 19
Kudos: 16





	In Another Life Maybe

**Author's Note:**

> **MAJOR CHARACTER DEATH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**
> 
> Okay, with that out of the way, I had written this back in early October and actually had this in a draft on my abandoned fic post since then but then I saw this [tweet](https://twitter.com/minmanager/status/1208764505104109570) because [Far](https://twitter.com/wintercrystale) had quote retweeted another one of the persons tweets and I saw that one about the soulmate au where one dies and it reminded me that I had this aren! So I just spent the last hour or two fixing it up (not anywhere near perfect) and it morphed into jron as well and oops... Merry Angstmas everyone.

"Will you _stop_? He's not my soulmate!" Jonghyun frowned at Minki as he got fed up. Jonghyun was only trying to help his best friend and he lived with Aron. He had seen his symbol and he had seen Minki's. They were identical. Different locations but definitely identical. Minki's was on his upper thigh closer to his hip than knee while Aron’s was on his shoulder under a tattoo he had. He knew Minki wanted nothing to do with Aron specifically, but he never knew why. He had asked once and Aron simply shrugged.   
  
_"I don't pretend to understand his reasoning for things." Jonghyun had frowned at that_. Remembering that conversation, he looks at Minki who was currently throwing things into this shopping cart. Jonghyun had tagged along so they could chat.  
  
"Why do you hate Aron hyung so much?" Minki paused and sighed before looking at him.   
  
"I don't...hate him. I just find him obnoxious."   
  
"He thinks you, his _soulmate_ , hates him." Minki swears at him and tells him to stop using that word. Jonghyun frowning before grabbing Minki's arm to keep him from walking off.   
  
"I've seen both your marks. They're identical, Minki. You can deny that if you want, but I'll still use the term. He deserves a chance or _something_. You just wrote him off immediately."  
  
"He's not my type."   
  
"He quite literally _is_ your type. You're soulmates." Minki yanks his arm from his grip and flips him off.   
  
"Fuck off, Jonghyun." Walking off to finish getting groceries, Jonghyun just sighs and heads back home. Aron sitting on his bed doing homework looking worse for wear.   
  
"What the hell happened to you? You look worse than you did this morning." Aron looks at him and laughs a bit with a shrug.   
  
"It’s Sunday. I haven’t been able to see anyone yet, so I was gonna go first thing." Just as he says that, Jonghyun listens to him cough and frowns by how horrible it sounds and how exhausted he looks.

Getting him up, they head downtown for the ER, Jonghyun telling him he’ll stick around the whole time. Aron drifting in and out at this rate. Jonghyun grabs a wheelchair for him before pushing the other into the ER. They ask if Jonghyun can answer any questions and he says he can do basics. Aron mumbling in his delirium as he sits there looking half asleep. Jonghyun answers what he can and then speaks up to ask a question.   
  
"I've heard rumors before, if a soulmate rejects the other one could get sick... I’m best friends with his soulmate and so they interact a lot, but he refuses to acknowledge Aron as his soulmate." They frown and glance at some other patients before waving him and Aron through the doors and into a room.   
  
"It can be true if the rejected party is already compromised."   
  
"He does get sick often...and has a bad back and bad knee...but he was fine till recently. They’ve known one another for a while.” They nod and check his temp, seeing it's high and calling for ice.   
  
"Has he had a particularly bad cold recently?” Jonghyun thinks about it and nods. Telling them about a month ago, he was sick enough he was throwing up and could barely get out of bed. They nod and begin laying ice packs around Aron. One of the nurses turning to look at him.

“If you don't want to go to a funeral next week, I'd call that friend of yours." They draw some blood before leaving and telling him they’ll come back shortly. When they leave, Jonghyun calls Minki and bites at his thumb nail till he answers.  
  
"Calling to apologize?" Minki asks smugly.  
  
"No. I’m at the hospital-"   
  
"What happened?! Are you alright?" Jonghyun almost laughs at how quickly the other changes tone  
  
"I’m fine. Aron isn't though and you need to come down here." The phone remained silent for a while. Minki not speaking till Jonghyun asked if he was still there.   
  
"Yeah, trying to figure out why I would need to go to the hospital..." Jonghyun was tired. Minki’s stubbornness was getting to be too much and he was sick of it.  
  
"God dammit Minki. Get your selfish ass down here before he dies! He deserves you at least _attempt_ to save him." Minki is quiet again before softly saying 'no.' and hanging up. Jonghyun stares at the Call Ended page in horror. He's known Minki for years, hes not one to just allow someone to die. Calling him again he's sent to voicemail and swears. Sending texts to him that he needs to do this and be here or he'll regret it.   
  
'No, I won't.' Jonghyun screams in frustration and looks up to a slightly more coherent Aron trying to sit up in bed. Jonghyun rushing over to help lift the head of the bed up but keeping the ice in place.  
  
"Hey... What’s going on?"  
  
"You're in the hospital. They think it could be bad." Aron frowns and gives a small nod before they look at the nurse that rushed in, pausing in the doorway; Apparently Jonghyun had hit the call button on accident and he apologizes and hits it again so it turns off and she asks if anyone needs anything. They say no and she pauses as Aron asks her to wait before turning to look at Jonghyun.  
  
"Can you make sure he gets the note from my nightstand? I wrote something for each of you and my family too." Jonghyun looks at him before nodding slowly; Asking Aron if he’s sure he doesn’t want him to keep trying to get Minki to show up.  
  
"He hates me, so he won't so please, just do this one thing.” Jonghyun nods and Aron looks at the nurse. “Can you get whatever papers around for me to sign before things go really downhill?" The nurse gives a curt nod and rushes off. Jonghyun glances at his phone again hoping Minki would text him and ask which hospital but he doesn’t. The nurse returns within minutes with the paperwork. Saying something about getting it done now while he still coherent.   
  
"It’ll only get worse. If you need anything, push this button here. A nurse will come in when she can." Aron nods thanking her as he settles back into the pillows with the paperwork and clipboard as she leaves. Jonghyun closing the door enough that they can still see a little into the hallway.   
  
"You're really going to let Minki kill you?"   
  
"I’m not forcing myself on him and give him real reason to hate me." He says as he fills out the paperwork.  
  
"He tried telling me earlier he doesn't hate you."   
  
"Yes, he does. Its why I'm so far already. There’s a note for you too, by the way."  
  
"Why do you have those already?" Jonghyun shook his head right after mumbling never mind; remembering Minki’s been cold to him for months. Aron saying he's surprised it didn't happen earlier. As the night progresses, Aron gets worse. Mumbling incoherently about things before becoming lucid again. Telling Jonghyun he doesn’t have to stay. 'Watching someone die is morbid as hell Jonghyun.' Jonghyun laughing and saying he's not letting him die alone. Aron nods, tearing up some and Jonghyun climbs into the hospital bed with him, hugging him to his chest as he strokes his hair and rubs his back. Aron coughing harshly before they have to get a throw up bag for the blood he coughs up. Aron shaking as he gets colder; Jonghyun pulling the blanket around him and holding him close. No longer mumbling or having his eyes open as he clings to Jonghyun. The younger looking at his phone hoping there’s something, Minki's phone still going to voicemail when he calls. Aron giving a few more coughs of blood, Jonghyun wiping his mouth each time before he notices his breathing is becoming shallow. Leaning down, he kisses his temple and apologizes for Minki. Tearing up as he talks. Aron pale and shaking as he tightens his grip on Jonghyun’s shirt. Jonghyun stroking his hair.  
  
"You're so amazing hyung. I’m sorry that Minki couldn’t see that. I hope your afterlife is better than this one. I love you, and I'll make sure everyone gets your letters. I promise.” Jonghyun crying as the monitor gives off a steady beep. Hugging his best friend to him as nurses rush in; they don’t try to resuscitate him; they had never been able to bring back a patient that had died from the rejection illness. The nurse turns off the monitor screaming about the flat lining and unhooks him from the monitor as well; calling time of death at 3:34 am before resting her hand on Jonghyun’s shoulder.   
  
"You don't have to leave now, take your time." He sees her place something on the door frame before shutting it fully. Jonghyun clinging to Aron as he mumbles apologies. Unaware that across town, Minki felt it.   
  
///   
  
Minki shook his head each time Jonghyun called or texted him. This wasn't funny anymore and Minki was tired of it. Why in the world would Aron have been at the hospital? And how the hell was it _his_ fault? Throughout the night, he worked on his homework and around 3:30 in the morning, he gets up deciding to get some water, standing in his kitchen when 3:34am hit. Dropping his glass as a sharp pain goes through him, his thigh, where his mark is, giving off an agonizing burn as he puts his hand over it; when it doesn’t immediate stop. Minki tugging his sweats down and stares at it, watching his soul mark change from solid black to a faded black nearly grey and split. Staring at it, he suddenly panics. Tugging up his pantleg as he rushes to his laptop as his pain recedes. Quickly searching why a soul mark would fade and split. Staring in horror at the top result. **_Soulmate Rejection Illness_**. Clicking on it, he feels his eyes begin to well up as he reads on.

> _Soulmate Rejection Illness: An illness where if immunocompromised, whether due to a current health issue, or the flu, the rejected party will begin to grow ill quickly, death is the end result if the soulmate doesn’t come around. If the rejected party is healthy, their body will fight off the illness as it would any other._

> _Living with the illness; Those who become compromised by the illness will die within 24 to 36 hours if the rejection is not rescinded._

> _Living Soulmate; The soulmate remaining will know immediate when their soulmate has passed from this illness. Their soul mark will fade to a dull grey and split in half. Pain will continue to leave this point for the rest of their life as a reminder. No new mark will appear._

Minki stares at his phone in shock, tears running down his face as he leans back against his couch. Aron was gone, like gone gone, and it was all _his_ fault. He just _killed_ someone. He... Minki shakes before he wails, realizing what he had just done. He should have just gone. Why didn't he?! Why didn’t he just give in and gone to see him?! Jonghyun had sounded serious on the phone; he kept calling, why didn’t Minki just listen for once?! He covers his face as he sobs. Rocking back and forth on his couch.   
  
///  
  
Jonghyun lays hugging Aron nearly an hour before he lets go. Kissing his forehead again in apology. Not wanting to leave him but knowing he can’t stay there hugging a dead body forever. Collecting Aron’s things, he heads out; rubbing his eyes as he lets the nurses know and they ask him if he’s doing the funeral arrangements. He shakes his head and gives them his parents numbers and his own just in case. He can’t imagine the call they’re about to have with his parents. They thank him and apologize for his loss. Jonghyun gives a small nod as he leaves. Dazed as hell as he sits in his car, his best friend not beside him rambling about things that make him cry from laughter. Heading home, he stands in the living room of their apartment. Aron’s backpack for classes on the dining room table. He hadn’t gone that day due to his… illness. He feels his tears come back and chokes out a sob as he hears a knock on the door. Sniffling, he rubs his eyes and heads to the door. Stupidly thinking it could be Aron who just forgot his keys _again_ and the last six hours were just a horrid nightmare. Opening the door, he’s met with a red and puffy eyed Minki. His hand up as though he were about to knock again. Jonghyun narrows his eyes at him before heading over to Aron’s desk and searching it for the note. Finding it addressed for Minki, he grabs it and goes to Minki who’s now standing in the hallway. Thrusting his hand out at him angrily.

“Take this and leave. I don’t know who you are anymore, you’re not my friend from childhood. That Minki never would have abandoned their soulmate.” He shakes his head and leads Minki out the door before shutting it. Minki crying hysterically as he clings to the envelope addressed to him.

“Jonghyun _please_. I need to know he didn’t suffer.” Jonghyun yanks the door open shortly after that and screams at him.

“He did! He got worse and worse and was coughing up blood!” He yanks his shirt out and points to the spots of pink. Aron’s blood mixed with his tears as he cried from the pain staining his undershirt. He had taken his over shirt off to wrap around Aron’s shoulders. It was currently inside the apartment, hanging over the chair Aron usually deemed his. Minki looked down and another sob bubbled out of his throat.

“No…” Jonghyun nods once.

“Yes. I called and texted you. Repeatedly! I _loved_ him, Minki. He didn’t know, he told me before, he didn’t want to date anyone that wasn’t _you_ because it wouldn’t be fair. Aron was willing to be alone for the rest of his life because you kept rejecting him!” Jonghyun shakes his head and mumbles about the stupid flu he had the other month and tells Minki to leave. He couldn’t look at him anymore. Minki nods and rushes off crying. Jonghyun shuts the door and slides down it, hugging his knees as he buries his face against his pants.

///

Two weeks later is the funeral. Jonghyun goes and sits in front with his parents and sisters. Minki is there. He saw him and he doesn’t know if Aron’s parents know he was his son’s soulmate or not, but he guesses they don’t when they hug Minki and thank him for coming. Jonghyun doesn’t speak to him. He can’t still. Maybe someday but not yet. As the eulogy begins, Jonghyun stares at the open casket. They managed to make him look alive again, as though he was just simply sleeping. Once the service was done, Jonghyun walked up to the casket. Reaching in to rest his hand on Aron’s chest once more and apologizing again; telling him he kept his promise and gave all the letters out. Aron’s parents had clung to him as he met them at the funeral home to discuss the preparations. He was Aron’s closest friend here and he had agreed without hesitation. He didn’t want to make things more difficult or make them have to beg him. He handed them the letters and lied when they asked if he was in pain during the end. Jonghyun wouldn’t have told Minki the truth either but he was pissed. Pissed at the universe, at Minki, at himself too. Bowing his head, he says a small prayer to Aron wherever he is and tells him he loved him and always will. Minki slips him a letter as he goes to leave, flinching in pain as he had earlier during the middle of the service.

“What’s wrong with your leg?” Minki pauses in leaving and looks down before forcing a smile.

“I’m… kind of stuck with a reminder of what I did.” Jonghyun furrows his brow confused.

“It’s grey and sends sharp pains throughout as a reminder.” Jonghyun looks down at his leg and back, slightly disturbed but then realizes, while he’s stuck with the memory of Aron’s last breath and him clinging to his clothes as he passed; Minki is stuck with the constant reminder he basically killed him and yanks him into a hug crying. Telling him he’s still not there yet, but he’s still his brother and loves him. Minki crying and nods as he just enjoys the hug. Aron wouldn’t have wanted them fighting anyway. Jonghyun deserves his time to mourn though and he will. Aron would understand that. Minki does as well. Things will be fine and Jonghyun will eventually find his soulmate, despite that part of his heart will always belong to Aron. First loves never really leave you. No matter how old you get.

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked it leave a comment (even if its just a keyboard smash; it tells a lot) or press the kudos button, guests can do both, too! 
> 
> Contact:  
> [Twitter](http://twitter.com/feyatsirk)  
> [Curious cat](http://curiouscat.me/feyatsirk)


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